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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Claiming His Mate

  Copyright © 2015 by M. Limoges

  ISBN: 978-1-61333-665-6

  Cover art by Fiona Jayde

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

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  www.decadentpublishing.com

  Black Hills Wolves Stories

  Wolf’s Return

  What a Wolf Wants

  Black Hills Desperado

  Wolf’s Song

  Coming Soon

  When Hell Freezes

  Portrait of a Lone Wolf

  Taming His Mate

  Seducing the Schoolmarm

  Alpha in Disguise

  A Wolf’s Promise

  Reluctant Mate

  Diamond Moon

  Tempting the Wolf

  Claiming His Mate

  Black Hills Wolves

  By

  M. Limoges

  Chapter One

  Jace Matthews’ eyes followed the rhythmic sway of his mate’s heart-shaped ass as she walked up the aisle to the sales counter. Damn, he couldn’t wait to strip her bare and sink his teeth into that tender flesh. Suddenly, those tempting globes stopped. He blinked and his gaze shot up to find Michelle frowning over her shoulder at him.

  Shit.

  Embarrassed she’d caught him staring, he snatched the closest book on the shelf beside him, waving it in the air like a kid who’d won a life-sized stuffed animal at the county fair. “Got it. Thought it might be out of stock.”

  Real smooth, jackass.

  She arched a delicate brow over the rim of her glasses. “Are you ready to check out, Jace?”

  “Yep, I think this’ll do it.” He soaked up the sound of her sweet voice and followed her to the register.

  Two months ago, when he’d come to check out the new owner of a large parcel of land adjoining his pack’s hunting territory, he damn sure hadn’t expected to find Michelle Sanders. Once he’d stepped inside the small, quaint bookstore she’d owned in Collins, he’d caught a scent that had eluded him for thirty-two years.

  His mate.

  The first time he laid eyes on her, his wolf had fought tooth and nail, urging Jace to stake his claim in the primitive way of his people. Hunt her down, mark her, and claim her as his own. That wouldn’t have worked with Michelle. He had to proceed with caution. She was human after all.

  Of course, he had no idea how to court a human, or whatever the hell it was they did. In his world, it was hard, fast lust. No relationships, just quick flings that were over as soon as they started. With his own kind. But, he didn’t want a quick anything with Michelle, he wanted forever.

  His prim little mate waited patiently for him to slide his purchase across the wooden surface between them. She reached for the book and his hand purposefully settled over hers. In the weeks he’d come in, it was the first time he’d purchased anything. The first time he’d touched her. He stared at her face, ignoring the tiny currents racing up his arm. Her startled, bespectacled blue gaze darted to his, and she pulled her hand away. Fuck yeah. She felt it, too.

  The scent of her lust drifted up his nose, and he almost dragged her over the counter right then and there to sink his teeth in her shoulder. His control teetered on a dangerously fine line in her company.

  Michelle blinked away her confusion and nodded toward the book under his hand. “Find something you like?”

  More than you could ever know. He moved his hand and she picked up the book. “Yeah, I’ve been waiting on that one for a while,” he lied. “Can’t get enough of that author.”

  Jace couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the book. It was just an excuse to linger in her store. Slow, his pack kept telling him, go slow with her. Well, he had, damn it. Since his shy little mate appeared skittish, he’d come in, browsed the shelves of her store twice a week, making friendly conversation, forming an easy friendship, and biding his time until he had her in his bed and life permanently. But, the time for waiting was over.

  Recently, he’d caught another scent when he ran on her property.

  Hunters.

  The bastards had been sniffing around his pack’s borders and camping on Michelle’s land. No doubt without her knowledge. That gave Jace all the more reason to speed up their odd courtship. Her protection was at stake, and he’d be damned if he left his mate in danger. She was his future.

  Michelle’s head popped up, humor sparkling in her pretty eyes. She held up his purchase. “I love the abs on this one.”

  He gawked at the semi-naked male torso covering the matte-finished paperback he’d snatched from the shelves without looking.

  What. The. Fuck.

  ***

  Michelle bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing out loud at the shock written on Jace’s face, though it came as no surprise to her. The hot specimen of male virility that she’d lusted over since he’d sauntered through the double doors of her bookstore was gay.

  She winked in an attempt to ease his visible distress. “It’s really a great read. Good choice.”

  “It’s not for me,” he choked out.

  Bless his little baby heart. “Sure.” She moved to the register and rang up the romance novel.

  “Seriously, it’s for my sister, Kate.” His downcast, grimacing face tugged at her sympathy.

  Michelle had discovered the surprising revelation of his sexuality a month ago on one of her nature walks through the wooded property behind the house she’d inherited from her Aunt Cecelia. She’d stumbled upon him there. With another man. Both in various states of undress. Then his equally hot friend had chucked his damned pants. She hadn’t stuck around to witness any man dangle action. Instead, she’d gotten the hell out of Dodge before she could technically be arrested as a voyeur.

  Discovering Jace’s sexual orientation had somewhat depressed her. An entire week after she’d seen him in the forest, she hadn’t been able to meet his gaze out of embarrassment. To learn something so intimate and personal about him without his knowledge, it shamed her to feel the way she did about him. She’d foolishly imagined he’d made the twenty minute drive over from Los Lobos each week to her store in Collins, South Dakota because he might’ve been interested in her. At last, she’d found the man of her dreams, and he turned out to be gay.

  She’d shrugged off her disappointment. It wasn’t his fault, and she wasn’t about to lose the only friend she’d made since moving here. But that hadn’t stopped her from lusting after the hottest guy on this plane of existence. The fact he was gay hadn’t affected her late night fantasies one iota.

  Michelle deposited his money in the register and slid the drawer closed with a soft click. She placed his book in one of her pretty paper bags with the polka dots and set it on the counter in front of him. “Hope your sister enjoys your purchase, Jace.”

  He rolled his eyes and shook his head. His lips curved with a sensual smile she’d be sure to dream about tonight. “What are you doing Friday night?”

  “Let me think.” Michelle scrunched her nose and tapped her chin with h
er finger. Then she snapped her fingers. “Oh, that’s right. Not a thing.”

  He released a deep, throaty laugh that did funny things to her insides. Shit, she had to get laid soon. She could practically feel her damn eggs dropping. If she didn’t watch it, she’d tackle her sexy, gay friend without a tad of remorse. She repressed a shiver and waited for him to continue.

  Amusement reflected in his dark brown eyes. “Perhaps you could help me out. I have this date night coming up with my sister….”

  Huh? Her eyebrows rose. She knew it was a small, country town, but—

  “No, wait.” He held up his hand in a halting motion. “I mean, it’s a double date. With her and her boyfriend. I’m supposed to bring someone. Would you go with me?”

  Well, she hadn’t expected that. “I’m not so sure, Jace.”

  “I’m sorry.” He fidgeted with the handle on his paper bag. “I should’ve asked if you were seeing someone.”

  Michelle bit her tongue to keep from blurting out no, but you are. “I’m not, but wouldn’t you rather ask someone else?”

  “Why?” He frowned and appeared genuinely perplexed.

  Hmm, what’s a polite way to say this? “I just thought…I might not be your type.”

  A scowl formed on his handsome face. “Why wouldn’t you be? You’re perfect.”

  His reason for asking smacked her in the face as if he’d flung his bag at her. He needed a cover in front of his sister, who probably had no idea he was gay.

  Michelle noticed her fingers thrummed the wood countertop. She laid her palm flat to still the nervous action.

  Oh, what the hell? It wasn’t as if she had a social life to speak of. Jace had been nothing but kind to her, bringing her cherry Danishes and coffee from the diner down the road each week when he stopped in. He was the only person in her new small town who’d taken the time to get to know her somewhat. Apparently, everyone else thought she had the cooties or something.

  Michelle huffed out a breath. “All right. Sure, why not? Where? And what time?”

  “How’s seven p.m. sound? I thought we might grab some dinner in Los Lobos. Is that all right?” When she nodded, his face brightened and he smiled a sinful grin that hit her below the belly.

  “Excellent. Jot down your number and address, and I’ll stop by your place at six-thirty to pick you up.”

  She did as he asked, printing her phone number and directions on a piece of receipt paper. He leaned forward, laid his hand over hers, and squeezed, sending a strange burst of energy through her arm once more. As he extricated the slip of paper from her grasp, she almost reconsidered. This increasing attraction she felt toward him couldn’t be good.

  With a parting devilish grin, he turned and sauntered to the exit, calling back over his shoulder. “I’m looking forward to it, Michelle.”

  “Me, too,” she croaked.

  Sweet little baby Jesus in a manger, what had she gotten herself into now?

  Chapter Two

  The blare of her phone on the bathroom counter startled Michelle, causing her hand to jerk. The cheap razor nicked her below the knee, and blood ran down her leg.

  “Bitches.” She threw the razor in the bottom of the tub and covered the stinging cut with a washcloth.

  Wow. Was it any wonder she didn’t go on dates often? Hell, it wasn’t even a real one so why was she bothering to shave her legs?

  She dried her hands and reached for the phone to check who’d called. As soon as the number popped up on the screen, she rolled her eyes and placed her phone on the counter again. Ever since she’d inherited Aunt Cecelia’s property, a local land development company had been hounding her to sell.

  Granted, she could use the outrageous sum they offered, but this was her home now. The eccentric aunt Michelle barely remembered from childhood had left her this place, and she’d sunk every last cent of her savings into the bookstore she’d opened in town. She wasn’t going anywhere.

  Besides, why did they want the place so badly? There was fuck all around here. Her property sat on the edge of Collins on the border of Los Lobos, the next small town over. From what she’d learned from locals and her own observations, the wooded area boasted a healthy population of wildlife. Any sort of development in this area would be a threat to those animals, and she hardly wanted that on her conscience.

  Michelle finished drying off and slapped a Snoopy Band-Aid on her leg. She stared at her reflection in the mirror above the sink and groaned. Great. She looked like a raccoon from lack of sleep. For whatever stupid reason, some wolf thought it would be fun to bay at the moon all night. Outside her damn bedroom window. She loved nature as much as the next person, but come on. If she hadn’t thought the beast would attack her, she would’ve lobbed a piece of her aunt’s old crockery at him.

  Right, T-minus thirty minutes before Jace arrived to pick her up for their supposed double date. She realized it was only a front for his sister’s sake, but Michelle’s stomach still fluttered. This would be the first time she’d been out in two years since her parents’ deaths. After the loss, she’d buried herself in work, let relationships with her friends slip, and resigned herself to a solitary life. She wasn’t sure why’d she’d allowed herself to slide into a self-imposed exile.

  But the realization of what she’d become had driven her to accept her inheritance and move to Collins instead of selling her aunt’s old place. She’d needed the drastic change to break up the monotony of her life.

  Hell, she should be grateful Jace had asked her out at all, even if it was just as a cover. Plus, it didn’t hurt he was a serious piece of eye candy. She’d have some new material to fuel her fantasies. Lord knows he starred in them just about every other night as it was.

  The phone blared beside her again, dragging her away from daydreams of a naked Jace tied to her bed. She frowned when she recognized the number. Might as well get it over with.

  She snatched the phone from the counter and swiped the screen to answer. “Yes?”

  “Ms. Michelle Sanders?” A deep voice rumbled in her ear.

  “This is she.”

  “This is Carl Marston. Again. We spoke a couple weeks ago, but you haven’t returned my calls since then.”

  Apparently he hadn’t taken the hint. “That’s because I have no interest in selling my property, Mr. Marston. I would appreciate—”

  “I would advise you to reconsider, Ms. Sanders.” A bite of rancor colored his voice. “We’ve offered you a respectable sum, and my partner has grown rather impatient with your evasion. I would hate for something to happen that puts you in dire straits. I’m sure we might not be as generous later.”

  Michelle’s mouth dropped open. Though his voicemails had become more forceful and laden with heavily veiled warnings, the bastard had never just outright threatened her as he did now.

  “Listen, I’m not changing my mind. Now leave me the hell alone, and don’t call me again.” She ended the call before the slimeball could sling another threat at her.

  What an asshole. Hopefully, they’d give her a moment’s rest now and stop calling her twenty times a day. She raked a hand through her damp hair. Right, she was wasting time. Jace would be here soon, and she was still wrapped in a towel.

  Twenty minutes later, the doorbell buzzed. With one last glance in the mirror, Michelle darted to the front door. She sucked in a steadying breath, opened the door, and then almost choked on her own saliva.

  On her front step, the tanned, muscular figure wearing dark blue jeans and a gray button-down rolled to his elbows made the pulse hammer in her neck. The smell of his spicy cologne hit her nose, and she had the sudden urge to lick the side of his clean-shaven cheek for good measure. His warm, dark brown eyes gleamed from the porch light. Across his handsome face, the crooked trademark grin he usually wore was in place. The same panty-singeing smile that did funny things below her waist. Sons of mothers, she was tingling in places she shouldn’t be tingling.

  Why, by all that was holy in this world, di
d Jace Matthews have to be gay?

  ***

  Jace stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pants to keep from grabbing the woman in front of him. Christ, he wanted to explore every delicious inch of her.

  She’d dressed in a pair of jeans that lovingly hugged her curvy hips. The blue top she wore matched her eyes and accentuated the delectable cleavage he couldn’t wait to get his mouth on. Her blonde hair was pulled in a ponytail, and her glasses perched on her cute little nose. She gazed up at him with innocent eyes and parted, plump lips. One short-termed mission in his life was to kiss that sexy mouth before the night was over.

  “You look beautiful, Michelle.” He gave her his most charming smile.

  She flushed a pretty pink. “You, too.”

  He laughed and couldn’t resist teasing her. “Thanks, honey.” He winked. “That was just the look I told Janice at the salon I was going for.”

  Her eyes widened and she lifted a hand to her mouth. “Oh, sorry. I meant you look handsome.” She dropped her hand and took a step back. “Forgive me, I’m being rude. Would you care to come in?”

  Oooo-kay. That joke was an epic fail. Damn it, he should’ve listened to his sister. She’d warned him he had a horrible sense of humor.

  He shook his head. “No, thanks. If you’re ready, we’ll go.”

  The sooner he got this date over with, the sooner he’d get her home. And hopefully into bed. His wolf had ridden him hard since he’d touched her three days ago. Hell, his beast had him lingering outside of her house last night, announcing to all others in range that she was his.

  Jace waited on the bottom step while she locked up, then escorted her to the passenger side of his truck and helped her inside. It was hard to keep his hands to himself when the enticing citrus scent of her perfume wrapped around his heightened senses.

  When he’d settled in the driver’s seat, he peeked at her to see she sat primly, her knees locked together, handbag clutched in her lap. “You can relax, you know. I’m not going to maul you.” Not yet, anyway.